Ravenpaw's Farewell/Chapter 1
Chapter description :Graypaw is urging Ravenpaw to keep up with him and Firepaw. The young apprentice digs in his claws and they race into a clump of ferns. Bursting out at the other side, they whisk through the undergrowth by Snakerocks, the Thunderpath, and the river. Firepaw reaches Sunningrocks first and all three cats stand at the top. The fiery-colored tom declares there is no better place than ThunderClan and Graypaw echoes him. Ravenpaw tries to join in, but a droplet of rain splashes onto his muzzle. He wakes up to Barley's voice grumbling he is getting wet. The water is coming from a hole in the roof and Ravenpaw jumps out of his nest, hissing. Ravenpaw mutters he thought his buddy checked the roof before they made their nests. His dream is still at the edge of his consciousness however and imagines his friends are close by. Barley teases him for being a grouch and suggests for him to come over to a dry spot. Ravenpaw doesn't move for a moment, feeling a sharp pain in his belly. The black-and-white tom asks if he is okay and Ravenpaw comforts him. Barley asks if he would like to see the forest today, since the weather will get worse and they haven't been there for ages. Ravenpaw scents leaf-bare on its way and mews he would like that. He hopes that walking will subside the pain in his belly. :The two cats spring down the hay to eat a pigeon Barley had stored the day before. Ravenpaw doesn't feel hungry, but forces himself to eat a wing down when Barley observes him. They slip out of the barn and head through the long grass. The rain has stopped and the clouds were starting to move on. Pausing, the cats hear dogs barking in the distance, but they are a ways off. Trotting across the stone path and into the hedge, Ravenpaw follows Barley's trail of paws. A few cows raise their heads up to look at the cats and Ravenpaw almost feels as if they are his Clanmates. He goes back to his dream and thinks about where his Clanmates had gone to; Graystripe soon showed up after being lost and Ravenpaw had showed him the path to take. Ravenpaw shivers and hopes they are safe and prays for StarClan to always light their paths. Barley encourages him to check the tunnel under the wide Thunderpath. Twolegs had made the Thunderpath wider on WindClan's old territory and gorged the hill on the far side. Ravenpaw notes the man-made tunnel has enough space for badgers and is thankful he hasn't come face-to-face with them. Barley plunges into the tunnel and Ravenpaw grits his teeth and follows him. The companions leave the tunnel and come upon a thick wall of brambles. They creep alone the edge and climb up the slope. The noise of the monsters fade far behind and Ravenpaw breathes in the scents of the forest. The black loner reflects back to the ravine, Gatherings, the medicine cat's den, and Tigerclaw. He shakes himself, since there was a reason he had left. :They reach what might have been the old WindClan camp, however the images in Ravenpaw's mind are hazy. Barley growls as a strong wind nearly knocks him over. He suggest for them to get into the shelter of trees and Ravenpaw chases after him. He wonders to himself if WindClan or any of the Clan survived the journey. Once out of the wind, the forest is quiet and the companions soon hear monsters rumbling and Twolegs shouting. They reach the hollow where Fourtrees used to be and it feels to Ravenpaw it had been a lifetime ago before the Twolegs destroyed the clearing. It is now filled with silver dens and an expanse of black stone with monsters. The black tom's stomach curdles at the fume-smell. They continue along a slope to follow an ancient ThunderClan trail. Once they head deeper into the trees, Barley and Ravenpaw approach pale gray boulders. It might have been Snakerocks, but the snakes seemed to have vanished. They follow an achingly familiar path when Barley yowls at him to watch out. Ravenpaw realizes he is looking down at his old ThunderClan home. Characters Major *Barley }} Mentioned *Graystripe (dream, flashback) *Tigerclaw }} Notes and references Category:Novellas Category:Ravenpaw's Farewell Category:Chapter subpages